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en-usEngadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronicsCopyright 2018 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.https://www.engadget.com/2017/06/06/uber-hires-vp-fix-toxic-company-culture/https://www.engadget.com/2017/06/06/uber-hires-vp-fix-toxic-company-culture/https://www.engadget.com/2017/06/06/uber-hires-vp-fix-toxic-company-culture/#comments

Uber is believed to be the world's most valuable startup, with estimates pegging the company as being worth around $70 billion. Its business, and its CEO, have always garnered controversy, but to date, Uber has been able to survive whatever slings and arrows were thrown its way. 2017, however, may be the year that the company faces its reckoning as crisis upon crisis washes over it. Here's a timeline of some of the major events that have hit the service in the past four months.

On this episode of the Engadget Podcast senior editor Cherlynn Low and executive editor Dana Wollman join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about some recent examples of bad corporate behavior. First the trio look the most recent developments at Uber, where days without controversy are increasingly rare. After that, they turn their attention to another perennial punching bag (and soon to be newest member of the Verizon family) Yahoo. The company's troubles aren't new. In fact the panel will be discussing just the latest fallout from a scandal surrounding political prisoners in China that dates back to 2007.

Finally, on the Wind Down, Cherlynn reveals that gratuitous nudity isn't what makes an HBO show and Terrence wholeheartedly endorses the chaotic and experimental "pop." Then Dana offers her review of 1986's Little Shop of Horrors.

Look up the word bungled in a dictionary, and you'll find the definition of the word, so if you want to see what it looks like in practice, head to L.A.. The state's problematicprogram to get iPads into the hands of low-income students has backfired so spectacularly the school district is now looking for a complete refund. According to the L.A. Times, the state's education board has been having secret meetings with lawyers and has already told Apple and Pearson that it won't accept or pay for future deliveries of tablets and software.

The debate over the appropriateness of the Washington Redskins' name has been raging for what seems like ages now, and even homegrown e-commerce operations are feeling the effects. Consider Etsy, for instance. The fast-growing purveyor of neat and offbeat products recently updated its policies to ban the sale of any merch with the Redskins' name or logo. Washington's trademark burgundy and gold are still in the clear, as is the word "Washington" itself... and that's about it. Etsy has already started reaching out to sellers whose wares run afoul of the new rule, but it'll probably be a while before the site is fully purged. Just take a look: here's still plenty of seemingly verboten Redskins-branded swag to be found on Etsy at this point, while sellers of more innocuous wares (like a HTTR "Hail to the Redskins" wristband that doesn't actually say "Redskins") are being told they're out of luck. It's possible that the furor over the Redskins name could come to a close soon - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell threw his support behind Redskins' owner Daniel Snyder, but his tenure might not last much longer as a result of his handling of Ray Rice's domestic abuse controversy.

At the DreamHack Hearthstone tournament, Radu Dima won 3-0 in the final round and was rewarded with a $10,000 check. However, during the second game Dima received a message on Battle.net revealing the details of his opponent's hand. Dima reported the message after the match, and the officials declared that the information would not have helped him and said that he could keep playing. But this prompted viewers to go back to look at earlier Battle.net messages that some are saying contain coded hints about opponents' cards.

Part of the fun and joy of being involved in a communal hobby is getting into passionate "discussions" with others about various aspects of your mutual interest. This is the same in gaming as it is elsewhere and I wouldn't have it any other way. Yet sometimes I wonder if we get perhaps a tad bit too worked up over things that, honestly, do not matter -- even within MMO gaming.

So what MMO issue do we fuss about too much? Are we too uptight over the whole "raiders vs. casuals" issue? Does throwing a tempter tantrum over a lack of a guild vault make us come off as spoiled children? Do we fixate on the many horrible failings of Elf culture?* Does there come a point when you just roll your eyes at another rehashed rant spouted by people who just won't let the little things go? Are we merely addicted to the drama that comes with these debates?

*The answer is no. We can never badmouth Elves enough for the horrors that they have inflicted on the fantasy genre.

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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controversyculturedaily-grindelfelveselves-suckmiscellaneousopiniontdgthe daily grindthe-daily-grindWed, 14 May 2014 08:00:00 -0400319|20883434https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/05/11/eve-evolved-eleven-years-of-eve-online/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/05/11/eve-evolved-eleven-years-of-eve-online/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/05/11/eve-evolved-eleven-years-of-eve-online/#comments

​It seems that every year another few MMOs have closed their doors or convert to free-to-play business models to stay afloat. EVE Online has always enjoyed a level of insulation from these market trends elsewhere in the genre, and just last week on May 6th it celebrated its 11th year of year-on-year subscription growth. Following on from my previous column celebrating the EVE Evolved column's sixth year of operation, this week I'll be summarising all the major EVE news stories throughout the year.

It's been a big year for EVE fans, one that many of us can be proud to have been a part of. The EVE community turned its financial wizardry toward the real world and raised over $190,000 US in relief aid following a typhoon hitting the Philippines, and CCP even built a monument dedicated to the community. Several massive player battles once again put EVE on the global media's radars, and the Odyssey and Rubicon expansions revitalised the game for explorers and PvPers alike. But not everyone can hold his heads up high this year, with details of more cyberbullying within EVE coming to light and several players being banned for defacing the EVE monument in Reykjavik.

In this anniversary retrospective, I summarise all the major EVE news from the year in one place and take a look at what the future may hold for the EVE universe.
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11-yearsanniversariesanniversarybusiness modelsccpccp-gamesconsolecontroversialcontroversyculturecyber-bullycyber-bullyingcyberbullyingdev diariesdogfighterdustdust 514dust-514eleven-yearseliteeveeve evolvedeve onlineeve-evolvedeve-fanfesteve-fanfest-2014eve-onlineeve-valkyrieevents (in-game)evrexpansionsexplorationfanfestfantasyfeaturedfpsfree-to-playfrontiergame mechanicsgothichorrorkronosmmo industrymmofpsmmorpgmonumentmultiplayernewsnews itemsnews-roundupoculus-riftodysseyonline-multiplayeropinionplayer-builtplayer-built-stargatesplayer-generated contentplaystationplaystation-3ps3pvpround-uprounduprubiconsandboxscammingsci-fishooterspyingstar-citizensubscriptionsubscriptionssupernaturalterms-of-servicetostrailersvalkyrievampiresvideovirtual-realitywhite-wolfwodworld of darknessworld-of-darknessyear-in-reviewSun, 11 May 2014 18:00:00 -0400319|20883732https://www.tuaw.com/2014/05/01/google-drive-app-is-dead-long-live-google-drive-app/https://www.tuaw.com/2014/05/01/google-drive-app-is-dead-long-live-google-drive-app/https://www.tuaw.com/2014/05/01/google-drive-app-is-dead-long-live-google-drive-app/#comments

Hot on the heels of Google's new Docs and Sheets apps, the technology giant has also released a brand new update for the Goole Drive app. The good news is that Drive for iOS now has an optional passcode lock feature that allows you to protect your documents with a 4-digit code. The bad news is that Google has removed the ability to edit your documents from within the app, returning Drive to just another document viewer like it was when it first appeared in the App Store.

The Google Drive app is dead, long live the Google Drive app.

When you press the normal pencil icon to edit a document, the app -- in a move that is either passive aggressive or tone deaf -- asks you "Trying to edit?" Then it displays a screen prompting you to download Google's new Docs apps, which unsurprisingly just came out yesterday.

If you're one of the people who still trusts app providers to give you a warning before they cripple your apps, maybe it's time to stop. Just like ComiXology before it, Google Drive doesn't warn users before they download the new update that a major feature -- arguably the major feature -- of the app is no longer available.

Instead you'll just see this in the store.

Who wouldn't want to add password security to the already incredible Google Drive app? Why there are even "performance improvements"! Little did we know that the answer for everyone who wants Google Drive to remain an incredible app is to not update it. It would have been nice to have had a little warning, but then Google couldn't blindside you into downloading their two new apps to have the same functionality you once had with one.

We recently reported on the drastic changes made to the iOS version of the ComiXology store, removing the ability for users to make purchases directly from within the app. This move allows ComiXology's new owner Amazon to get around paying iTunes its 30 percent cut on in-app purchases. For some creators this news is a good thing, meaning more money in the pocket of comic book writers and artists.

Others, like Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, Captain America), see this as a bad thing for the comic book industry. On his blog Waid posted the following explanation of why this is such a big deal for the comic book industry as a whole even if some users don't see what the big deal is.

You already buy comics online? Good for you. You're not the ones we need to be worried about. Seriously, you can look down your nose all you want at in-app purchasers and gloat to your heart's content that only Luddites couldn't figure out how to go find the website and then set up an account and shop through the website and then download their comics separately through the app, it's not all that hard, that's how the Kindle buying works on my iPad, yes?, and you're absolutely right, it's not that hard, but guess what? That doesn't matter.

What matters is that it makes buying comics–makes finding comics–more difficult for new readers discovering the medium, not easier, and that is pretty much the last thing anyone in comics needs right now. Long-term, because this means Apple no longer gets their 30% cut off of comics bought off an iPad because you can't buy them that way anymore, that means more money for comics publishers and comics creators. That's great. It's also something that no casual consumer gives a rip about. Short-term–and I will happily report back to you if I'm wrong–there's no way that 30% bump will compensate for the sudden loss of impulse buyers who were buying with one button tap and/or using iTunes cards because they're too young to have credit cards or PayPal accounts.

There's just one hitch in that plan. For it to work, iOS ComiXology readers need to stick around, and if the iTunes reviews are any indication, Amazon/ComiXology has a massive problem on their hands.

It's important to note that not everyone is unhappy. There are a few users -- mostly ones who already used the ComiXology website to buy their books -- who don't see what the big deal is. Still positive reviews for the changes are roughly 1 for every 17 negative ones.

Are you a ComiXology customer? We'd love to hear from you about how the changes have affected your buying habits. This week included the first new sales day since the changes -- new comic book titles are released on Wednesday -- so it will be interesting to see if the move has negatively impacted ComiXology's sales or not. As a long standing user and fan of the service, I'm hoping this situation can be resolved.

The digital comic book retailer ComiXology has been a massively profitable addition to the iOS landscape, but after a number of run-ins with Apple on content, the company is changing things up. On Saturday, April 26, ComiXology quietly announced some major changes to its iOS and Android apps. Android users were given a brand new in-app purchases interface with an improved cart system, but iOS users found an important feature had been removed; in-app purchases.

From now on ComiXology readers using iOS devices will have to buy their digital comic issues via the company's website and then sync the titles to their device, completely bypassing the iOS marketplace. This method of purchases is significantly less direct from consumers, but it allows ComiXology to get around Apple's "morals" issues which have caused content to be blocked from sale in the iOS store in the past.

There's just one issue; that option was always available to iOS ComiXology users, which means iOS users now have a more complicated process of buying their titles than before. For iPad or iPhone readers, there's really no good news here.

Some creators, like Chris Roberson of Moneybrain Comics are thrilled with the changes. No longer allowing in-app purchases via iOS frees up the 30% cut that Apple made on sales made through their devices. In Roberson's eyes this means more money to go back to creators.

I have always recommended people make their @Comixology purchases through the site and not the app, since creators get more money that way.

You'll notice he prefers that all users, not specifically iOS users, buy through the website. All in-app purchases through Android and Apple are subject to the same 30% cut of the profits, the money is just sent to different corporate overloads.

So why did ComiXology kill in-app purchases for iOS devices, but expand its Android store with a new cart and other features? Perhaps it's this little fella.

ComiXology was recently purchased by Amazon, and Amazon's Kindle Fire uses the Android platform. By making it harder to buy comics via the iPad, they've just managed to quietly prop up the Kindle Fire as the easiest option for comic readers thinking about which tablet is right for them. Of course this is simply conjecture on our part, but if there's anything we've learned from Captain America books it's that everything happens for a reason. Also, don't trust Nazis.

To ease the transition for possibly sore readers, ComiXology is giving everyone who has ever made a purchase through the app a $5 credit as a thank you for sticking with them.

As of right now, only the main ComiXology app for iOS has had in-app purchases removed; the ComiXology powered iOS apps for Marvel, DC, IDW, and Image are still allowing customers to buy books on their devices. ComiXology remains the best comic book reader and marketplace available for iOS users. Will these changes to ComiXology drive you to another digital comic retailer? Let us know in the comments. In the meantime here's ComiXology own quick guide for adding a link to their webstore on your iOS home screen. It's at least something.

The recent release of the Beasts of War downloadable content pack for Total War: Rome 2 has ignited a backlash among series fans, who accuse developer Creative Assembly of deliberately withholding finished content from the retail version of the game in order to release it later as paid DLC.

Players claim that the Camel Cataphract units featured in the Beasts of War pack were originally seen in a Creative Assembly-produced Let's Play video prior to Total War: Rome 2's release. The video additionally outed the existence of the Mercenary Naked Swords unit, which wouldn't be seen until the later release of the game's Caesar in Gaul paid DLC.

Players posted these allegations at Creative Assembly's Facebook page and on the official Total War forums. Further complaints arose when forum mods allegedly moved related threads to the Rants and Raves sub-forum, which is only publicly viewable by registered users.

Speaking to Eurogamer, brand director Rob Bartholomew apologized to fans, explaining that the content originally featured in Creative Assembly's Let's Play videos differs significantly from the paid DLC units.

"At the time of this video's recording, these units were not finished in terms of art, gameplay or design and as a marketing team we should have double-checked the likelihood of them making it into the final game," Bartholomew said. "Obviously we don't want to feature content that won't be in the game intentionally, especially when it would otherwise be pointless, as in this case where there was a huge variety of other great units to show off. That's our basic human error and I apologize for letting that through."

Bartholomew additionally detailed company-wide plans to carefully check pre-release content prior to publication, in order to avoid future conflict. "[The units] weren't working pre-launch in the sense that they were finished, being largely placeholder and subject to change," he said. "However, I completely appreciate that this sounds like a 'get out' on a technicality to a fan feeling aggrieved by this, so again I do apologize for not thoroughly checking enough that all content in that video was absolutely ready for public viewing and understanding. We've put checks in place now that should prevent that in the future."

Change is rarely easy, but EverQuest'smost recent patch comes with controversial changes that some community members are less than thrilled about while others herald as long overdue. After receiving feedback on the proposed changes to Alternate Advancement points and abilities (namely that Gold members would be granted a huge portion of AAs and classes would no longer be able to fight 100+ mobs at a single time with specific skills), SOE made some adjustments. Specifically, Gold level members must now opt-in to receive the AA grant that will give everything up to the most recent four expansions (with the exception of Spell Casting Subtlety and Tradeskill Mastery AAs, which must be earned as normal). Other AA changes include the conversion of Leadership AAs to standard abilities.

On top of that, a number of spells and abilities now have limits to prevent players from fighting mass swarms of mobs, and Heroic Adventures will no longer lock, allowing players to be added to them at any time. The patch, which goes live today, also included a change that only affects the Firiona Vie server. The XP potions that players farmed and sold will no longer be a source of income; although all current potions already in game will remain tradable for now, all future ones will be non-tradable.

Two mobile games in which users performed liposuction and other plastic surgery procedures on a cartoon woman have been removed from their respective app stores - Plastic Surgery & Plastic Doctor & Plastic Hospital Office for Barbie from iTunes, and Plastic Surgery from Google Play. The BBC reports that the overweight woman was described as "ugly" on Google Play. We'd say there's something very ugly here indeed, but it isn't a cartoon woman.

Mattel seems to be behind the removal of Plastic Surgery for Barbie; a statement from the company reads, "At Mattel, we take our commitment to children seriously and work hard to ensure there are no unauthorized uses of our brands that may be unsafe or inappropriate for children." Google likewise released a statement saying that, while the company doesn't comment on individual apps, they will remove those which breach guidelines.

Plastic Surgery for Barbie was labeled as appropriate for children ages 9 and up. A similar version of the game, called Plastic Surgery for Barbara and labeled as appropriate for ages 12 and up, has also been removed.

Games considered to be "competition" include World of Tanks, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Dota 2, and StarCraft. An official response from the company states that this is comparable to the restrictions placed on pro athletes in several sports. Players in the official Reddit thread are upset by this decision, claiming that the comparison to professional athletes is both inaccurate and inapplicable in this particular context. It remains to be seen whether or not this will impact the game's championship numbers in any fashion.

Last year, Valve ran a special in-game event for Dota 2, called "Diretide," to coincide with the real-world event of Halloween. This year, Diretide was nowhere to be found, and it's only been just recently that Valve explained why. So why no Diretide this year?

According to a post on the Dota 2 blog, a "significant" update was taking up most of the team's focus and energy. The team reasoned that ceasing work on the update to work on Diretide "seemed like something you would actually be unhappy with us for." As for why Valve waited until now to explain themselves: "You were already mad and disappointed in the lack of Diretide. Telling you that you weren't getting it at all wouldn't have really helped much," the post states.

To make amends, Diretide will be coming to Dota 2 with the next update. When that update will hit, however, is a question currently lacking an answer. The blog also notes that, "while we always want the community to tell us exactly how we're doing, this is probably a good time to stop cc'ing innocent car manufacturers with your messages." The post doesn't mention it, but one Dota 2developer community member has also tweeted that he'll involve the police if he gets another call about Diretide on his personal number. So, you know, maybe stop harassing people.

Update: We incorrectly referred to the individual who received harassment via phone as a Dota 2 developer, when they are, in fact, not. The text has been updated to reflect the correction.
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controversydiretidedota-2halloweenmacpcvalveSun, 10 Nov 2013 13:30:00 -050011|20764665https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/10/ccp-responds-to-somer-blink-favoritism-scandal/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/10/ccp-responds-to-somer-blink-favoritism-scandal/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/10/ccp-responds-to-somer-blink-favoritism-scandal/#comments

It's never wise to kick a hornet's nest, and there is perhaps no hornet's nest in the world of MMOs that is as prone to swarm and sting as that of the EVE Onlinecommunity. EVE players have been up in arms over allegations that CCP, the studio behind EVE, showed favoritism to SOMER.Blink, a third-party lottery site, by providing its employees with exceptionally rare Ishukone Watch Scorpions (fancy ships), as a reward for the site's continued contribution to the EVE community.

After a few days of fan caterwauling, CCP has issued a lengthy and detailed response built to clarify what happened, why it happened, and what it means. First, CCP explained that the Ishukone Watch Scorpion is a promotional item with no value beyond that which is created by its rarity. The studio also noted that only 132 ships exist, all of which were handed out by CCP to community contributors. CCP explained that giving away the ships to fansites and contributors was meant to be a continued initiative but is now on hold.

If tradition and reported rumors prevail, September will likely mark the debut of iOS 7, which Apple characterizes as the biggest revision to its mobile operating system since the its debut. It includes a host of features that range from the nice-to-have (such as iTunes Radio and updates to Notification Center) to features that could make for huge changes in how consumers navigate and use their iPhones and iPads (Control Center, AirDrop and better photo management). There have also been some key gesture changes. For example, on the app launchpad, Control Center is activated with a swipe from the bottom and the search page has been replaced with a swipe down.

And that would all be fine, but what would an Apple product be without something at least a bit polarizing. In this case, it's the aesthetics of iOS 7, with a host of parody Web sites giving the "Jonny Ive" software design makeover to all manner of logos and other artwork. iOS 7 may also introduce some icon inconsistencies between Apple's mobile devices and the Mac; an example is the proposed icon for Safari. But current iOS users will hardly be lost in iOS 7; the icon grid remains intact with no top-level bubbling of app functionality to answer Android widgets or Windows Live Tiles.

The new aesthetic of iOS 7 has a few main characteristics.

Simplification and minimal ornamentation. At the introduction of iOS 7, several jokes were made at the expense of current and former releases of Apple operating systems and apps, including the green felt casino game motif of Game Center and the remnant torn paper in OS X's Calendar. Instead, iOS 7 will err on the side of abstract representations. One of the best examples of this kind of change is iOS' Photos app. Today, it features a detailed depiction of a flower. But that's slated to be replaced by eight overlapping color ovals.

New typography with a focus on taller fonts with a thinner weight that take advantage of Apple's high-density displays.

A new color palette that leans heavily on pastels.

Extended use of translucence.

To the extent there is a real risk, however, it is not that consumers will reject the look of iOS 7 so much as that Apple risks losing some differentiation on the look of the OS. This is particularly true when compared with Android, which has also embraced taller, thinner fonts albeit mostly in Google's own apps (on Android and iOS). Windows Phone has also done this to an extent although mostly in the navigation of its "panoramic" navigation at the top of its apps. Skeumorphism brought a bit of levity to the Apple OS experience. Regardless of whether one loved it or hated it, though, it was -- in part due to their competitive reactions -- a contrast from the flatter designs of other phone interfaces.

The new look of iOS 7 is but one of its new features. It may not ease the daily routine -- or even the eyestrain -- of its users, but ultimately it is something of a red herring once the initial visual shock subsides. Most users will probably not think twice about it a few days after acclimating to it. For those whose feelings for green felt were heartfelt, a trip to your friendly Internet poker site may be able to help relive the glory days.

Ross Rubin is principal analyst at Reticle Research, a research and advisory firm focusing on consumer technology adoption. He shares commentary at Techspressive and on Twitter at @rossrubin.

Controversy struck the Tribes: Ascend community this week as developer Hi-Rez Studios shut down the game's forum and told players to go to Reddit instead. Threads erupted on the third-party site asking for official Hi-Rez accounts to be banned from /r/Tribes. Dota 2's World Championship tournament got underway this week as top competitive teams from around the world fought for a slice of The International's $2.8 million US of prize money. And it looks like Heroes of Newerth has a companion on the way, as developer S2 Games recently revealed its new and potentially more casual MOBA Strife.

In a new video devblog, Elite: Dangerous creator David Braben discussed plans for ship passengers and luxury cruise liners in the upcoming space sandbox game. Diablo III Community Manager Grimiku hinted that developers are looking into the possibility of adding an official self-found mode, and Blizzard announced its plans for Gamescom 2013. Path of Exile wrapped up the end of its third season of race events and announced that seasons four and five are already in the planning stages. And Star Citizen's weekly updates focused on the upcoming Hangar module.
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action-mmoaction-rpgallianceascendbattle-for-graxiabattlenetblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbrabenbusiness modelscasualcloud-imperiumcompetitive-gamingconcept-artcontroversycrowdfundingcruise-linerd3david-brabendev diariesdev-diarydiablodiablo iiidiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotadota-2e-sporte-sportseliteelite: dangerousesportesportsevents (in-game)events (real-world)f2pfantasyfeaturedfirst-person-shooterfpsfree-to-playfrontierfrontier-developmentsgame mechanicsgamescomgamescom-2013godgodsgothic-fantasygrand-finalgraxiagrimikugrinding-geargrinding-gear-gameshangarhangar-modulehardcoreheroes-of-newerthhi-rezhi-rez-studioshoninfinite crisisinvictus-gamingluxury-cruisemillion-dollarsmmo industrymmofpsmobamultiplayerna-vinavinew titlesnewsnews itemsnot so massivelynot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerorangeorange.neolutionpatchespath of exilepath-of-exilepetroglyphpetroglyph-gamespoepvepvpredditrise-of-immortalsroiround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamessandboxsci-fishootersmitestar citizenstar-citizenstrifethe-internationalthe-international-2013third-persontongfutournamenttribestribes-ascendtribes-mmotribes-universevalvevideowingmans-hangarMon, 12 Aug 2013 20:00:00 -0400319|20691960https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/03/wizardry-online-hit-by-duping-and-hacking-bans-issued/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/03/wizardry-online-hit-by-duping-and-hacking-bans-issued/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/03/wizardry-online-hit-by-duping-and-hacking-bans-issued/#comments

Some things never presage good news. Case in point: Wizardry Online has been hit with what appears to be a round of hacking and item duping, leading to hyperinflation and a great deal ofplayer outrage on the forums. Exact figures about how much gold was dumped into the economy are hard to come by, but most players seem to agree that it's a matter of several million gold sometimes foisted on unwitting victims.

After claiming that the matter was being investigated, Sony Online Entertainment representatives locked some of the threads related to the topic while simply stating that suspensions had been issued and further discussion did not help the community. No statements have yet been issued regarding permanent bans or any potential rollbacks to the environment.What long-term effects this will have on the game's viability remain unclear, although several players are protesting SOE's apparent lack of action quite vigorously.

In a statement sent to Joystiq, developer Sony Santa Monica has confirmed it will change the name of a controversial God of War: Ascension trophy in a patch that should be available alongside the game on Tuesday. Once the patch is applied, the name of the trophy will be "Bros Before Foes."

Originally named "Bros Before Hos" (as seen above), the trophy pops up soon after you help God of War's anti-hero, Kratos, brutally pummel a Fury, one of a trio of female antagonists in the game. (Though it's not a spoiler in light of the fact that Kratos beats everyone up, we've omitted the trophy description.) The change comes after negative reaction from early reviews to the jarring scene on and the attached award, which is perceived as misogynistic.

"We have created and will soon push out a patch for God of War: Ascension that alters the title of one of the game Trophies. The text was offensive to some members of our community and impacted their enjoyment of the game," Sony Santa Monica's statement noted. "We are endlessly committed to ensuring that our community can fully enjoy the experiences the team has created. As such, we've addressed the feedback and amended the Trophy in question."

Players will be instructed to download the update once God of War: Ascension has been inserted into an internet-connected PlayStation 3. No other aspect of the game is affected by the patch.

God of War: Ascension launches exclusively for the PlayStation 3 on March 12, 2013. For more on the game, check out Joystiq's review.
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controversygod-of-war-ascensionplaystationps3santa-monica-studiosony-santa-monicatrophiestrophyMon, 11 Mar 2013 18:00:00 -040011|20495671https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/04/not-so-massively-diablo-iii-console-constroversy-and-wrath-of/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/04/not-so-massively-diablo-iii-console-constroversy-and-wrath-of/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/04/not-so-massively-diablo-iii-console-constroversy-and-wrath-of/#comments

It's been a huge week for MOBAs, with the release of several new characters, a ton of balance changes, and even a game closing down for good. League of Legends announced that it will start officially supporting Mac and released a new Smart Ping system designed to help players work together as a team despite language barriers. SMITE showed off its new crowd-controlling water god, Poseidon, and console MOBA Guardians of Middle-Earth released a new Survival game mode DLC.

We heard the unfortunate news that Wrath of Heroes will be closing its doors at the end of the month, and it's not the only game going out of business. Online FPS Bullet Run, formerly known as Hedone, is due to shut down on Friday, March 8th, in a big final event. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as Dota 2 has hit another impressive milestone, passing 300,000 peak concurrent players. The first season of Heroes of Newerth's HoN Tour league is soon to draw to a close, and developers are planning a huge balance patch before the next season kicks off.

Blizzard enraged Diablo III fans this week with the announcement that the console version will not feature the controversial always-online DRM and can be played offline. Path of Exile detailed its next open beta patch, which is due to introduce a new fire skill, a 3v3 dueling arena, and significant Duelist class buffs. Online FPS Firefall produced a new trailer this week showing off its flight gameplay amidst criticism from fans over its lack of beta content. Finally, sci-fi sandbox Star Citizen gave fans a look behind the curtain of game development in its biggest development update video yet.
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action-mmoaction-rpgalways-onlinebattlenetbetasbiowareblitzcrankblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbullet-runbusiness modelscloud-imperiumcompetitive-gamingconcurrent-playersconsolecontroversyd3dev diariesdev-diarydiablodiablo iiidiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidlcdotadota-2drmdueliste-sporte-sportseaeconomyelectronic-artsendgameesportesportsevents (in-game)f2pfantasyfeaturedfirefallflyingfree-to-playgame mechanicsgame-closureglidinggoblin-towngothic-fantasygrinding-geargrinding-gear-gameshedoneheroes-of-newerthhonhon-touriblitzcrankjetpackjetpackskrakenleague of legendsleague-of-legendslollol-mac-clientlord-of-the-ringslotrmacmac-clientmapmapsmiddle-earthmobamonolithmonolith-studiosmultiplayermythicmythic-entertainmentnew titlesnewsnews itemsnot so massivelynot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerpatchespath-of-exilepingplaystation-networkpoeposeidonps3psnpvepvprecordriotriot-gamesround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamessandboxsci-fismart-pingsony-online-entertainmentstar-citizensteamsunsetsurvivalvalvevideovideoswarhammerwarhammer-wrath-of-heroeswarner-broswohwrath-of-heroeswrath-of-the-lich-kingxboxxbox-360xbox-livexbox360Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:00:00 -0500319|20486179https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/14/fox-news-discusses-star-wars-the-old-republics-gay-expansion-p/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/14/fox-news-discusses-star-wars-the-old-republics-gay-expansion-p/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/14/fox-news-discusses-star-wars-the-old-republics-gay-expansion-p/#comments

Star Wars: The Old Republic fans already know that Makeb is the Planet of Gay, containing far more gay than even the fabled Gay Level on Coruscant. Or perhaps it's just the sight of the game's upcoming expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel, which will feature the first implementation of same-gender romances in the game. These romances will be limited to characters already on the planet rather than new or existing companions. This is not new information for most players. However, it's news to Fox News, whose take on the planet's status is... slightly different.

According to Fox News, Makeb will be the "gay planet" added in the expansion, likening the current limitation of this new content to segregation and noting that many players are opposed the inclusion of same-sex relationships in the game. There is no mention of the number of players requesting the feature, nor of the variety of (presumably) non-gay quests and content available on Makeb. In short, it's missing a number of nuances regarding the situation, something that might be good for a raised eyebrow or two from fans and detractors alike.
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biowarecontroversyculturedetailsdialogueeaelectronic-artsf2pfree-to-playhomosexualityhumorhutt-cartellucasartsmakebmmo industrynews itemsnpcsrelationshipsrise-of-the-hutt-cartelromancesame-gender-romancesci-fisgrstar wars: the old republicstar-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorthe-old-republictorMon, 14 Jan 2013 18:00:00 -0500319|20428640https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/19/the-war-z-yanked-from-steam-valve-apologizes/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/19/the-war-z-yanked-from-steam-valve-apologizes/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/19/the-war-z-yanked-from-steam-valve-apologizes/#comments

The brief and baffling run of The War Z on Steam is over... for now. Valve called the release of the title on its digital distribution platform a "mistake" and "premature" and has since removed it. "We apologize for this," the company said, "and have temporary removed the sale offering of the title until we have time to work with the developer and have confidence in a new build."

The furor over The War Z'slaunch on Steam centered around its status as an early beta build and a list of misleading features on the Steam page that were either partially implemented or absent from the game altogether.

Hammerpoint also issued a short statement saying, "We're making sure that our Store page is 100% correct. Bottom line: Our end goal is to have satisfied and not angry customers, so this is more important for us than everything else."

Steam said that players who purchased it may choose to continue to play it or can get a refund.
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absent-featuresapologybetacontroversyfeaturesfraudfraud-accusationshammerpointhorrorlaunchmiscellaneousmmo industrynews itemspost-apocalypticreleasesteamthe-war-zvalvewar-zWed, 19 Dec 2012 16:00:00 -0500319|20407572https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/18/the-war-z-launches-into-a-flurry-of-fraud-accusations/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/18/the-war-z-launches-into-a-flurry-of-fraud-accusations/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/18/the-war-z-launches-into-a-flurry-of-fraud-accusations/#comments

The release of The War Z on Steamearlier this week is causing quite a stir today in the MMO-verse. Some purchasers are accusing the game's developers of outright fraud, noting that the store page and the official site are claiming features that simply do not exist in the released version, such as the promise of large persistent worlds (the only map currently available is 75 square km compared to claims of 100-500 square km) and population viability (while the game's servers can supposedly host 100 people, players claim that they cannot host more than 50).

Some of the complaints are subjective -- whether or not the true challenge in the game comes from zombies or other players -- but even the game's defenders admit that the title is still arguably in beta. It's currently the top seller on Steam, which is good news for Hammerpoint, but it also means that whatever the developers do next will be subject to some rather harsh scrutiny.
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absent-featurescontroversyculturefeaturesfraudfraud-accusationsfree-to-playgajme-mechanicsgame mechanicshammerpointhorrorlaunchlaunchesmmo industrymmofpsnews itemsreleasesteamthe-war-zwar-zTue, 18 Dec 2012 19:00:00 -0500319|20406737